In a gut-wrenching blow to the college football family, 20-year-old James E. Owens Jr., a junior defensive lineman for the Huntingdon College Hawks (NCAA Division III), tragically passed away on November 10, 2025, in a head-on car crash in Chilton County, Alabama. The Tuscaloosa native, driving a 2019 Chevrolet Camaro, collided with a Toyota Tundra around 5:35 a.m. on U.S. Highway 31, killing both drivers at the scene, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA). ALEA’s Highway Patrol Division is investigating, but initial reports point to a devastating two-vehicle collision with no other injuries reported.
Full disclosure: While the post ties Owens to Auburn (likely a mix-up with the late James Owens, Auburn’s pioneering Black scholarship player who passed in 2016 at 65 from heart issues ), the real story centers on Huntingdon—a small Methodist school in Montgomery where Owens embodied quiet ferocity and unshakeable faith. There, he wasn’t a hyped five-star or MVP lock, but a “towering presence of kindness” who tallied 20 tackles over three seasons (10 this year in five games) and lit up the USA South Athletic Conference with his motor. Head coach Mike Turk called him a “force to be reckoned with” on the D-line, the kind of player who “carried himself with respect, integrity, and kindness” off the field too.
A Life of Faith and Fire: Owens’ Lasting Light
Owens’ story hits harder because of the grace he found just days before the crash. Baptized on the Hawks’ practice field during opening week—after a win that Turk called “even better for God’s Kingdom”—Owens emerged from the water with a conviction that stunned those around him. Huntingdon chaplain Rhett Butler, who officiated, shared: “Of everyone I’ve baptized, James stands as the most abundantly assured person. He knew Jesus, loved Jesus, and was insistent on taking the next step of his faith… a witness for others.” Teammates echoed that: A Northridge High alum who’d chased his D-III dream with relentless focus, Owens was the guy who encouraged the huddle, blocked for the run game, and lived without regrets.
In the wake, Huntingdon paused practice for grief counseling, leaning on each other as Turk put it: “We’ve been together this week… getting ready for Belhaven, as I know James would have wanted us to do.” The school’s statement captured the void: “Our thoughts and prayers are with James’ family, his teammates, classmates, and all those blessed to know him.” Social media swelled with tributes—#HawksForever trending locally, fans sharing clips of his tackles and that baptism moment, a reminder that impact isn’t measured in snaps or scouts.
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